t.he vino doee not always flourish, yet, not green, it is fruitless ; e.ml therefore it la like ihe oorn whiob after harvest ceases e.ddcd that God Will prove the Source of and is no more seen, its root rcme.ins, and fruitfulness, o:nd supply all that his people next yce.r grows green and yidds its fruit shall or can ever need, , a.new. The fa.me of the wine of Lebanon Ver, 9.-Who is wiae, and he she.II under- ie celebrated for its te.ete and fragrance. stand theae things ? prudent, and he aha.II Kimchi oi~s Aeaph, a physician, &S writing know them 1 for the wayi of the Lord nro t~1at the wine of Lebanon, of Hermon, of right, and the just shall walk In them: varmel, of the mountains of Isre.cl 1md bnt the tre.ngreeeors shall fall therein. 'fllie ,Jcruse.lom e.nd Caphtor, surpass all others verse demnnds attention to all tho prophet in flavour, taste, e.nd for mcd1cinnl purposes. has written, whcth0r for warning, or reproof Ver. 8.-Ephraim slrnll say, What have I or correction in righteousnc88, or encourage'. to do &11.y more with idols 1 Thie is full, mcnt to piety and virtue, o.nd evidently fine.I. e.nd for ever e. renunciation of idolatry 1<lludcs to Deut. xxxii. 4. The ways of the on the part of Israel. I have hea.rd him, Lord e.re those he prescribes for them to and observed him: I am like a green fir walk in, ae also the wo.ys he takes in tree. From me is thy fruit found. 'fhis is guiding, guarding, and governing men. God's promise, that his eye is fixed on Like the dictates of the Word, so the di11-· Israel in order to look after him, care for pensations of his providence are to some the him, and provide for him, and to protect savour of life, to others the savour of death ; and prosper him; while the figure of a therefore it is added that, while the righteous' green fir tree is the pledge of she! ter and walk therein, the wicked stumble in them security. But, thongh the fir tree is ever (comp. Deut. x.u:. 19, 20). •
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-3.-The fallen im:uited to return. The history oflsrael is the moral bistory of the world, a~ least in miniature. . , I. HlsTORY REPEATS ITSELF. The history of Israel repeats itself in the history .of mankind in genera.I. Their history is the history of sin and of salvation, of ruin and of recovery, of the mercy of God and of the backsliding of man. Their bondage-in Egypt represents the slavery of sin; their rescue out of the hand of the oppressor, our redemp- tion; their sojourn in the wilderness, our strangership on earth ; their entrance into Canaan; onr admission into the better country, even the heavenly; their backsliding from time to time, our own wanderings of heart and life from the living God; their return to the path of obedience, our repentance. IL Goo's READINESS TO RECEIVE THE PENITENT. The reproofs for sin ap~ threaten- ings of wrath scattered over the preceding chapters of this book. now giv.e place to invitations to repentance and promises of mercy .. The former were a preparation for the latter. Not only so, even interspersed with reproofs for sin we find most gracious calls t.o repentance; alongside the threa.tenings of wrath are the most precious promises. It is in this way that God wounds in order to make whole; when he convinces us of sin, bis object li! to comfort ue; when he brings to mind our sin, it, is that he may lead 118 to the Saviour ; when he proves to us our ruin by 8in, he is, at pains to point us to the remedy and provide for our restoration; having warned us of our danger, he urges us to the discharge of duty. He deals with 118 as with Israel at the. time to which the prophet refers, showing 118 our fall and how we a.re to rise again ; he urges us to repentance, instructing us what to do and what to say, and encouraging us withal by God's willingness to receive w on repentance. Ill M.AN's FALL AND 1TB CAUSE, In the passage before ue the words apply in the first instance to Israel ; they had stumhl,ed; wch being the meaning of the original word. Their stumbling-blocks were their idols; they had forgotten the living and true God; they had proved ungrateful for his benefits and unmindful of his favours. Despising the riches of bis goodness and forbearance, they had lapsed into grOSB idolatry; they bad sunk deep into that degrading sin, making molten images of their sliver and idols a.ccordin" to their own understanding,-all of it the work of the craftsman. Their mgratit~e for the Divine goodness made their iniquity still less excuea.ble, for accord- ing to the multitude of his fruit they increased the altars, according to the goodness of bis land he me.de goodly images. No wonder the l',fajesty of heaven was provoked with that. llti1faecked a.wi rebellious peopl~. Dut the fall of Israel remiQ@ us of tho/all of OH, XIV. 1-9.] 'fHE BOOK Olt' HOSEA. 435